BRAVE moves to south Baton Rouge

BATON ROUGE - A 36-year-old man is fighting for his life after being shot before midnight last night on the 200 block of West Johnson Street in South Baton Rouge.

Now the specialized police team BRAVE is expanding its area into the 70802 zip code covering South Baton Rouge. BRAVE is credited with lowering the murder rate in Baton Rouge.

"We try to prevent crime. And if/when crime occurs, we have that direct line of communication where (the community) can point us in the right direction to make arrests," said BRPD Cpl. L'Jean McKneely.

After focusing on north Baton Rouge for two years, BRAVE is credited with lowering the murder rate 26 percent in 2013. The unit said success comes from building relationships with the community.

The BRAVE unit and the city of Baton Rouge are planning an event with the community within the next two weeks to introduce the team and explain their mission in South Baton Rouge.